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Vogtle reactor vessel slips between Savannah, Burke County

A 300-ton reactor vessel bound for Plant Vogtle was stranded briefly in south Georgia this week after a malfunction with the specially designed rail car moving the nuclear component from Savannah to Burke County.

“The platform that contained the RV (reactor vessel) during transport became misaligned with the Schnabel railcar, so the railcar stopped immediately,” Georgia Power Co. spokesman Mark Williams told The Augusta Chroncile (http://bit.ly/RIvadc). “The platform and car were re-aligned the same day and safely returned to the port.”

The Schnabel railcar, which features extra axles that help distribute and support the weight of heavy objects, did not break, he said. Georgia Power would not divulge the location of the incident.

The steel vessel, which weighs more than the Statue of Liberty, was built in South Korea and took three years to complete. It left aboard a transport ship that brought the component to the Port of Savannah.

There was no damage to the reactor vessel or to the rail car, Williams said, and the incident will not result in delays.

Plant Vogtle is undergoing a $14 billion expansion that involves building two new Westinghouse AP-1000 reactors.

The new units were scheduled to go into service in 2016 and 2017, but contractors have said they could be delayed by a year or more. Williams said work is being done with contractors to finalize a date.